Late Bloomers
by Relena for President
Summary: Relena tries to get Heero to finally take her on a proper date. But with these two, nothing is ever quite that simple...
1. Happy Pizza

_Relena._

She sighed and snuggled closer into her pillow, her body unwilling to stir from the languid slumber she was enjoying. _It's so warm..._

 _Relena..._

The deep baritone voice resounding in her head grew more commanding. Not to mention louder.

"Relena. Time to wake up."

A shoulder shake accompanied the last statement. Relena just groaned. "Just a few more minutes…" She squeezed her pillow tighter.

Or what she thought was her pillow.

Her eyelids slowly fluttered open to reveal her immediate surroundings. And the first sight that filled her eyes was Heero.

What she had thought to be her pillow was actually his torso - not that it was at all soft or fluffy like a pillow. Quite the contrary; his chest and abdomen were toned and taut.

Relena blushed and righted herself.

"Sorry." She tucked a few strands of her long blond hair, which she knew had to be terribly mussed, behind her ears and kept her eyes downcast. "How long was I out?"

"A few hours." Relena thought she detected a smirk from Heero, but as usual he managed to mask his expression, retaining that soldier's somber countenance. "We'll be landing soon."

"Oh." She peered out the window at nothing but dark, deep, endless space. It certainly didn't look like they'd be landing anytime soon, as the colony they were headed for was nowhere in sight.

"You were talking in your sleep."

Relena swung her eyes back over to Heero, partially amazed that he was continuing the conversation. "Oh, really?" She realized the flush was deepening in her cheeks. She was sure her face was burning hot pink. "Did I say anything… embarrassing?"

Heero gave an impassive shrug, focusing his attention on his laptop. Relena arched a brow.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

His stoic expression barely gave way, the corner of his mouth curling just a tiny bit upward.

Relena gave a little huff, crossing her arms over her chest. "Cute, Heero. Really cute. You're adorable." She added an eye roll to ensure he'd know she was kidding. Just in case.

"Yeah, you said something like that." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Really." She huffed again. "And what makes you think I was referring to you?"

He gave a low chuckle. "Should I be inclined to think otherwise?"

Relena looked at him quizzically, wondering if he was purposely mimicking her pattern of speech on purpose.

"Well, I wouldn't be so cocky, if I were you." Relena shot him her best death glare. If he was going to mock her, she could give it right back. "There are plenty of other moody ex-Gundam pilots I know. And _most_ of them are still single."

He shot his head up and looked right at her, taking her by surprise. His gaze was intense, like… well, he didn't look like he was about to tease her anymore. His mouth hung open, as if he wanted to say something important, but wasn't sure how to start.

"Relena," he began, his dark blue eyes boring into hers. "I…"

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking…"

The two of them continued to look at one another as the pilot asked the passengers to fasten their seatbelts and prepare for landing. Relena wondered what had made Heero turn so serious. She only hoped he'd bring it up again, rather than brushing the moment off like it hadn't happened.

The momentary interruption allowed her a chance to peek out the window again. This time, she could see the sparkling lights of the bright, new colony up ahead.

Putting her thoughts of Heero on pause for the moment, Relena felt a rush of excitement about their visit to the new colony. It was history in the making; she and a number of other ESUN delegates were being sent as a convoy to help implement policies and procedures for the governance structure of the settlement. The colony, L6, had been constructed not far off from where the former L5 colony was located before it was destroyed prior to the Eve Wars. While Relena knew that the visit would involve plenty of late-night meetings, she was thrilled to be among the first officials to explore the uncharted territory.

She didn't realize that she was bouncing slightly in her seat until Heero placed a hand on her arm to still her.

"Relax," he murmured.

She did her best to not look embarrassed. Not again.

"Aren't you excited, Heero?" She decided to make him feel like the odd one for being so subdued. He usually looked to her for social cues, anyway, and she didn't see any need to rein in her emotions.

Heero frowned. "What for?"

"You get to walk around on a brand-new colony." Relena poked his arm playfully.

"So?"

"So?" She echoed him incredulously. "It could be fun."

He shrugged one shoulder. "They're all the same."

Relena shook her head, knowing she probably couldn't win this argument. She hadn't grown up in the colonies, like he had.

"Well, maybe we could still have some fun." She tried to keep from pouting. She wasn't going to let his grumpiness affect her.

"If you say so." Heero snapped his laptop shut abruptly.

Relena glared in annoyance. "Why are you in such a bad mood, anyway?"

"I'm not in a bad mood." He didn't look up at her as he placed his laptop in its bag and shoved it under the seat in front of him.

"Are you sure?" she prodded. "Because you certainly seem to be…"

"I'm fine," he cut her off, shooting her a quick glance before leaning back in his seat, folding his arms and closing his eyes.

Relena wondered if she had anything to do with his change in temperament. For now, she decided to let the matter drop. At least until they were alone in their hotel room later.

She shivered. They were staying _together_ this time. Usually Relena traveled with an entourage, and Heero would stay in an adjoining room. But this trip was limited to a handful of officials, and since much of the colony was still under construction, they were all staying in a small hotel. That meant space was limited, too. When Relena's assistant tried to book two rooms for her but couldn't, Relena had only pretended to be disappointed. Heero hadn't reacted at all. Not that Relena knew of, anyway.

She wondered how and if he would react when they were _finally_ alone. And she felt incredibly nervous thinking of all the ways she could possibly make a total fool of herself. It was one thing to have him in her home day in and out; there, Heero had a room of his own, far removed from her chambers. Over the past few years Heero had worked as head of security and her personal bodyguard, Relena could count on one hand the number of times he'd entered her bedroom. He was nothing if not a stickler for protocol.

And Relena fully expected that Heero would station himself on the couch tonight. He probably wouldn't even ask for a pillow or blanket. Relena was doing her very best not to fill her head with fantasies that were in no way about to come true.

But what if… What if, without the need to keep up pretenses, Heero would give her a glimpse of his soul? Or at least tell her how he really felt about her? She only hoped for a tiny little _something_ ; with Heero, even the smallest gesture or glance seemed to be layered in meaning. Perhaps, for once, he would allow himself to relax.

She was tempted to squeeze his hand as the shuttle was guided into an opening leading to the landing strip inside the massive spaceport. It was one of the largest Relena had seen, which filled her with hope that the colonization of the new territory would be successful. In six months' time, she was sure that it would be a bustling port.

In the meantime, it was rather deserted, with only a few employees working on the tarmac. Relena craned her neck to look out the window as the shuttle came to a smooth landing. She smiled, forgetting her nervousness, and reached for Heero's hand. Without looking over at him, she gave it a tight squeeze. A beat later she felt him squeeze back.

 _That's a good sign,_ she thought blissfully. _We're going to be just fine…_

Several minutes later the seat belt sign turned off. Heero rose from his aisle seat and began to pull down their bags, first placing Relena's on his empty seat before reaching for his own.

"Excuse me, young man?" An elderly woman's voice came from the seat behind them. "Would you mind helping me with my bag?"

He turned and immediately offered his assistance. Relena couldn't help but smile. Heero Yuy may have been stoic, but he was rarely impolite.

Relena watched as the tiny older woman thanked him profusely. She then focused her gaze on Relena.

"You have such a kind husband," she gushed.

Relena could practically feel her face go pale. Even Heero looked horrified. She tried to clear her throat. "I…"

The lady grasped Heero's arm. "And you make such a lovely couple."

"Thank you." Oddly enough, Heero had found his voice first. Relena just gaped at him. He caught her eye and shrugged.

Relena was right about one thing. Shortly after arriving in their hotel room, which was much smaller than she was accustomed to, Heero had thrown his stuff down on the couch, staking out his turf. She thought about saying something, but resigned herself to taking the bed. As if he would let her have it any other way.

She bit her lip, trying to distract herself from the awkwardness that was sure to ensue, at least until one or both of them fell asleep. She paced the length of the room, mostly watching her feet, not at all noticing that she was about to plow head first into something. Or, rather, someone.

Heero stopped Relena mid-pacing, simply by stopping short in front of her. She gasped in alarm. How did he get there?

He didn't say anything to her, so she didn't speak up herself, just looked up at him, a mixture of nervousness and wonder. What if he was about to kiss her? The few times he had, it had completely caught her off-guard. Usually there was some brief, telltale sign it was about to happen. A twinkle in his eye, a smirk… something. He gave her nothing this time. Relena was about to harrumph out loud. He was probably just messing with her.

She moved to her right to go around him, but Heero also went right. She bobbed left and he weaved. She tried to move again, her frustration mounting until Heero finally grabbed her by the shoulders and physically moved her to his left side, then stepped around her.

She whirled on him. "What was _that_ all about?"

Heero just chuckled and walked toward the bathroom. "Relena, I think you're tired," he said as he strolled away.

"Tired?" she muttered to herself. "I'm not tired." She continued to mumble things as she laid her suitcase on the end of the bed, opened it and began tossing clothes around. If he caught her doing it she would just claim to be setting out her outfit for tomorrow morning, but honestly, she just felt like throwing something.

Relena couldn't help but wonder what things would be like between them if they were just some "normal" couple. Without the shadows of war still looming over them, haunting their steps. Or if she were with some other guy, would he tease her or pretend to not be interested? Or would he just grab her and kiss her silly?

She sighed. She didn't want to think poorly of Heero; she knew very well why he didn't reciprocate every action of hers or unveil his every emotion. Over the years she had done her best to get to know him, as much as he would allow. She loved him; that was inevitable. And she realized that he most likely knew it.

After all, it had been six years since they'd met that day on the beach. For the past four years, they'd worked together on a frequent basis. And not too long ago, he had become her full-time bodyguard and moved into her home. It made her giddy and jumpy and everything but the mature, professional Vice Foreign Minister she was so good at pretending to be. She was completely aware of his every movement; it drove her absolutely crazy.

And Relena still had to wonder - after six years, did Heero love her, too? She got the feeling that he did, even if couldn't find a way to say it.

She watched and waited for Heero to emerge from the restroom, then quickly looked away when he did. She was trying not to feel too overwhelmed by shyness, staying in such close proximity to him. But even the thought of sharing a bed with him made her blush furiously.

"What are you doing?" He strode across the room toward her.

"Getting ready for tomorrow." She attempted to make her sorting look like less of a mess than it actually was.

"That's good," he was saying. "You should try to turn in early; you need rest."

Relena faced him, hands on her hips. Was he her bodyguard or her father? _What nerve…_

"I had plenty of rest on the flight, thank you." She went back to flinging her clothes and undergarments haphazardly, and thought this time she detected an amused smirk on Heero's face.

"It looks to me like you're getting punchy." He snatched the suitcase away from her and set it on the floor.

 _I'll show you who's punchy,_ she wanted to retort, but didn't. Instead she decided to remind him who was boss.

"I want to go out," she announced, walking to take her turn in the bathroom. "I'll just freshen up and we can go."

"We're not going out." Relena turned to meet Heero's equally defiant glare.

"Yes, we are. We haven't even had dinner."

"We can just order pizza. Put a movie on. No need to go anywhere."

Relena huffed. Why did they sound like an old married couple? Already? _And without any marital perks,_ she thought morosely.

"I don't want to stay in and order pizza." Her hands found their place at her hips once more. "We're on a brand-new colony, Heero! We should explore."

"I already told you, they all look the same," he glowered. "It's not as exciting as you think. You should be more concerned with getting the rest you need. You have a busy schedule tomorrow."

"Heero, when did you get so dull?" Relena lamented, stamping her foot. "We're still young, aren't we? Can't we just live a little?"

She saw a twitch in one of his eyes. He was relenting; she knew it.

"For the record," he said, taking a few steps toward her, "I've _never_ been dull." He needn't remind her; she very readily recalled his Gundam pilot days. Heero oozed danger and all sorts of other forbidden things. And even if he preferred peace and quiet these days, he was far from a fuddy-duddy. But still. Her taunting had gotten the desired result.

She beamed at him. "Well, I'm relieved to hear it. So… you want to go?"

He grimaced, but finally gave a curt nod of his head, only grunting his reply. "Hn."

Although Relena practically had to drag Heero around the colony streets, she felt her persistence was worth it. The place was relatively deserted, but still up and coming, with a long line of shops, cafes and restaurants sporting brightly-colored lights. It felt like they had a whole city to themselves.

And even if her suitor was a tad unwilling, Relena allowed herself to make-believe they were on a date. In all the time she'd known him, Heero had never once asked her out. Relena could hardly believe he'd even kissed her before; when she thought about it, it made very little sense. And while they often shared meals together, it was always in her office or her home or on a plane or shuttle, and of course that didn't count. It _couldn't_ count.

Relena made a silent vow that somehow, she would get Heero Yuy on a proper date, even if she had to formally ask him out and risk rejection. She _was_ the girl who had her birthday party invitation ripped in front of her face; six years later, she was still hanging around the same guy. And if he hadn't shown a more than friendly interest in her with those kisses, she just might have given up on him. Even if she knew deep down that there was no way she could.

She pointed out various restaurants to Heero, hoping something would spark his interest. "How about French food? That little bistro looks cute…"

"I doubt a French bistro on a colony has anything you'd find appetizing," Heero replied blandly, effectively taking the wind out of Relena's sails.

"Ok…" she tried again. "What about Italian?"

Heero looked bored. "Same problem."

She pointed to another neon sign. "Japanese?"

"Seriously?"

"You don't want to eat anything, do you?" Relena finally snapped, exasperated. "I think you'd rather starve."

"I said I'd do pizza." She glanced up at him, noting how firmly his jaw was set. He could be stubborn when he wanted to.

"Why didn't you just _say_ you wanted pizza in the first place?"

"I did. Earlier."

"Well you didn't mention it was the only food you'd eat." She wanted to roll her eyes but refrained. "And you already said 'no' to Italian."

"Pizza's not Italian," Heero countered.

"Yes, it is!"

"No, it's not…"

Relena bit her tongue to keep from furthering the argument. She refused to bicker with him like an old married couple since they technically were not even on a date.

She tried one more attempt to steer Heero toward the nice Italian restaurant they had passed, but he was not having it. Instead they found themselves standing under a gaudy red, white and green striped marquee with a blinking, half-working yellow neon sign proclaiming "HAPPY'S PIZZA."

Relena quirked an eyebrow. "Heero, are you sure?"

He just shrugged. "It doesn't look so bad."

"I am seriously questioning your taste, Heero Yuy…"

And for good reason. The restaurant was mostly abandoned, save for a small cluster of rowdy colony construction workers seated at the bar. She and Heero settled in a sticky pleather booth that Relena had to wipe down with several napkins before agreeing to sit. She never considered herself a snob, but really… Just because she had changed into her "casual outfit" of jeans and a loose gray cardigan did not mean she wanted to subject her garments to filth.

An old-fashioned song blasted from a nearby jukebox featuring a crooner belting in Italian. Relena understood snatches of the lyrics and knew it to be a massively sappy love song. She sighed. Was this supposed to be romantic?

Heero was completely oblivious to the atmosphere, focused on the scant menu. Relena was content to let him order for her. She doubted she could digest much of the food there.

When their pizza at last arrived, both looked down at the metal pan in dismay. The flattened round item covered in stringy-looking cheese that looked suspiciously like soya "cheeze" had a few chunks of tomato scattered here and there, and some tiny green sprinkles masquerading as basil.

"What did you order?" she whispered to Heero.

"The pizza margherita," he answered, not exactly looking hungry himself.

"No," Relena muttered. "Just… no. It looks like cardboard."

"Dare you to take a bite."

Her eyes swung upward to look at Heero's face. He was smirking at her. Her anxiety washed away, and she finally allowed herself to relax. And laugh.

"Heero, this looks terrible…" She practically convulsed into giggles.

"Come on. It can't be that bad." He edged the platter toward her.

"It can be, and it is. Please, Heero, don't eat this." She giggled into her sleeve, hoping that the chef or owner couldn't hear them. "Save yourself."

"You're chicken." Heero used the pizza slicer to cut himself a slice. "You don't know what you're missing…"

Relena gaped as she watched him take a bite. She was amazed that he even swallowed.

And then grimaced.

"I knew it!" She pointed at him. "Admit that it's terrible."

"It's… not the best." He shrugged. "But I've had worse."

"I bet you have." She started to giggle uncontrollably again. "But seriously. Let's get out of here, please? We can find something else… _Anything_ else."

She caught him smirking again. "Snob."

Relena kicked him playfully under the table. "It's not that! But surely, you must have _some_ standards. It's not just me."

"It is you. You're a snob." Heero reached under the table and snatched Relena's ankle, deftly removing her shoe.

"Hey! Give that back!" She tried to kick at him, but his hold on her ankle was too strong.

"That's what you get for being such a princess…"

"Heero!"

He stopped tormenting her when the waiter came by to see how they were doing. Relena couldn't help it; she burst out laughing. Even Heero started to chuckle, although mostly under his breath.

"We'll take the check," he said finally.

Relena was wiping away tears of laughter as they exited the restaurant, carrying a box full of the uneaten pizza.

"I felt too awful to leave it there," she groaned between giggles.

"Yeah? Well, I felt bad about paying for it." Heero shot her a glare, but Relena noticed the slight twitch it his eye that revealed he was teasing. And maybe that he was actually having fun. She took a chance and laced her arm through his.

"You know, overall this hasn't been a bad first date…"

"First date?"

That stopped Heero in his tracks. Relena looked up to see the look of shock scrawling across his face. It was the same look he'd had when they were dancing together during her high school's party, and she revealed to him that she knew far more about him than he thought she did.

 _Enough beating around the bush,_ she thought. They were in their twenties now; things had to progress.

"Yes, Heero. You know that thing people do, when they go out to eat and one person pays? That's a date, in most cultures, anyway."

He was wide-eyed still. Relena tried to remain upbeat, refusing to let disappointment set in. _He had to know it was a date,_ she told herself. _Even Heero Yuy should be able to figure this out…_

Heero's mouth dropped open again.

 _Just say it,_ she prompted him mentally. _Tell me you love me so_ I _can say it, already…_

"Relena…" His voice had dropped to a near whisper as his brows knit together. "I thought…"

She tilted her face toward his out of habit. They were already standing so close together. Would he give in and kiss her this time? She let her eyes flutter closed, just in case.

And then a gloved hand wrapped itself around her mouth. Her eyes flew open to see Heero's panicked face turning into a big, swirling blur before she collapsed.


	2. Fangirling

Relena awoke to a pounding sensation in her head.

Her first instinct was to lift her hands to her head and press her temples, but she immediately realized she couldn't. She struggled for what felt like several minutes to lift her arms but they wouldn't move. Slowly, she blinked her eyes open, willing them to do so despite the mind-numbing pain. _And all that light..._

What seemed like thousands of points of light seared her vision. Her surroundings eventually came into view, and Relena saw that the room was wall to wall with twinkle lights. Otherwise the room was actually rather dark, but the sheer number of lights strung up was adding to her headache. The chloroform that had obviously been used on her hadn't helped, either.

She realized that she was sitting on a bed. At least her kidnappers over the years had often showed the courtesy of placing her somewhere comfortable. A turn of the head, and she saw that Heero was propped up next to her, still unconscious. She breathed a sigh of relief, mixed with worry.

"Heero?" she whispered, hoping he would wake up. His hands were bound behind him, too, but she knew once he was awake he'd figure out how to do something about it. He always did.

In fact, Relena was shocked that anyone had managed to kidnap the two of them, together. She wondered what kind of mastermind…

The door to the small room creaked open then, bathing them in more light from the hallway. A statuesque young woman strolled in casually, greeting the captives as if they were her guests.

"Relena!" she said brightly. "How are you?"

Relena just blinked in response. What was she supposed to say?

"I'm so happy to see you here." The woman folded her tall frame into a chair next to the bed. She leaned forward excitedly, resting a chin on her hand. It took Relena a second to notice that she and this woman were sporting the exact same haircut: long and blond with bangs. And she was dressed in a suit that was remarkably similar to Relena's Sanc Kingdom attire.

"Wha- who are you?" Relena stammered.

"The name's Kayla." The taller woman grinned at her "guest." "I've been dying to meet you. I'm a big fan."

"You- what?" Relena felt fully awake now. "A _fan_?!"

Relena knew she had fans. She had met them. They were usually five-year-old girls who wanted a hug and a photo and an autograph for their teddy bears.

"But how did you…" Her head was spinning, trying to lace together answers. This woman was larger than average size, but Relena could not see her taking down Heero. No way.

"How did I get you both here?" Kayla laughed. "Well, it wasn't easy. But I've had military training, you see. I'm ex-Oz, actually."

The hairs on the back of Relena's neck started standing up. "Really." She tried to keep her voice even. "What do you want with us?"

"I told you." Kayla leaned forward more, too close for Relena's comfort. "I really wanted to meet you. Both of you."

"But… why?" Relena wished Heero would wake up already.

"Because you're both my favorite people." Kayla sighed before leaping to her feet. "I've followed both of your careers extensively." She gestured to a large bulletin board that Relena just noticed was covered and photos… of her and Heero. Some of them together, others of them individually. They looked like they'd been taken from afar.

Stalker photos.

Relena shivered, then started trying to elbow Heero. She was just a few inches too far away from him.

"Why won't he wake up?" she finally blurted.

"Oh, don't worry." Kayla walked over to the bed, placing a hand on Heero's head and brushing back a few strands of his hair in a far too familiar, tender gesture. Relena wanted to slap her hand away. "I just had to use a stronger dose on him. But he should come to, soon."

"He'd better," Relena snapped. "And you had better give me some plausible explanation as to why you had to resort to kidnapping us in order to simply meet us. If that's really what you wanted, you could have approached us publicly." Relena felt her anger rising. "There's no need for this nonsense. Release us at once!"

Kayla threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, Relena, that's why I love you. You are so strong." The way she said it sounded condescending. "But no, of course that's not _all_ I want."

Relena shuddered, working to control her facial features. She would not let her fear register. She focused on her breathing and kept her voice calm.

"All right," she said in her best diplomatic voice. Surely even a psycho-fan could be reasoned with. "What do you want?"

Kayla clapped both of her hands together, practically leaping in the air. Relena wondered how her head didn't hit the ceiling.

"I'm so glad you asked!" Kayla beamed. "I'll be right back!"

 _Oh my god…_ Relena groaned inwardly, wishing she had some inkling of what she was in for.

As soon as Kayla left the room, Relena saw one of Heero's eyes open.

"Ah-ha," she whispered triumphantly. "You were awake the whole time, weren't you?"

Heero didn't answer, but she knew it was true. She wondered why he decided to stay silent, and whether he planned to continue doing so.

"What do you plan to do?" she whispered.

"Quiet," he hissed.

She wanted to whimper at his harsh tone, but knew he didn't mean it. _Some date…_ she thought sadly.

He was listening for footsteps, she realized, no doubt taking inventory of the entire house, or apartment building, whatever kind of structure they were in. Undoubtedly he'd already pinpointed their exact whereabouts and was plotting their escape.

Or so she hoped.

She just wished she could touch him, or that he would reach for her, offer her some reassurance. As usual he gave her none. She would just have to summon up her own strength until he managed to get them out of there.

But not knowing what faced them had her terrified. She'd stared down the barrel of a gun many times and faced death unflinchingly, but this situation had her more on-edge than ever.

Perhaps, she realized, it was because Heero was there with her. Not as her captor or her savior, but as a fellow captive.

A potential victim.

The urge to protect him was strong. That was it. That was why she was so afraid. It was his life she feared for.

"I love you, Heero," she whispered urgently.

He didn't answer, but he did swivel his head to look at her. While she couldn't read his expression, he didn't look annoyed or angry. In fact, if he'd been willing to speak, Relena would have bet that he was about to _at least_ say her name. She hoped they would both live so she could selfishly hear him say it, over and over again…

The door pushed back open. As expected, Heero closed his eyes, playing "dead" once again. Relena wished he'd chosen to be awake instead, feeling like he was leaving her to face this alone. She wished, not for the first time, that she could tell what he was thinking.

"I'm back!" Kayla announced in a singsong voice. She entered the bedroom pushing a cart holding a large rectangular, metal contraption that spouted a bunch of wires and electrodes.

"What is that?" she couldn't help asking.

"Oh, this?" Kayla grinned. "This my 'happy place.'"

"Your… what?" Relena thought back to Happy's Pizza. Between this and that restaurant, Relena had had her fill of "happy" places for one night.

"I use this to regulate my thought patterns." Kayla tapped the metal box. "When I'm feeling lonely, or sad… I use this machine to fill my mind with certain images."

Relena frowned. "You can't just do that… mentally?"

"Oh, no." Kayla frowned, too. "Not with my condition. No, this little box helps fill my mind with happy thoughts. That way I don't do anything too rash." She laughed.

"I see." Relena nodded, trying to look as though she was deeply interested. "Now Kayla, tell me when and why you left Oz?"

Kayla looked subdued. She stepped away from the machine and sank into her chair.

"I'm not sure how old you are…" Relena continued, trying to spin her question into a compliment. "But you seem quite young. Did you fight in the Eve Wars?"

"Yes." Kayla's whisper sounded shattered. "For a little while. Then they kicked me out."

"Why?"

"Commander Treize said I couldn't handle combat." The frenzied look in Kayla's eyes reminded Relena of Lady Une, before she recovered from her dissociative identity disorder.

Relena kept her voice gentle. "How did that make you feel?"

"Angry," Kayla whispered. "And useless. All that training, for nothing."

"Did you ever fight the Gundam pilots?" Relena knew the answer had to be "no," or they would not be sitting there having the conversation.

Kayla shook her head.

"And you came to admire them," Relena concluded.

"Yes." The woman nodded vigorously. "Especially Heero." Kayla gazed over at him fondly. "The perfect soldier. So handsome. And courageous. There's no one on earth or in space like him. He's the one and only."

Relena's heart swelled. Of course she had to agree, but she wasn't about to say so. She tried to keep Kayla talking.

"And when was it you became… interested in Heero?" _And in me,_ she almost added.

"After he saved everyone by destroying Libra before it crashed into Earth, of course!" Kayla declared.

Relena frowned. Heero's identity had been kept private after that incident. Even after he saved the world again the following year during the Christmas Eve battle in Brussels. Only the Preventers and a select few members of ESUN knew the identity of Gundam Pilot Zero-One. It was troubling that Kayla had somehow found out who he was, especially since she'd been discharged from Oz.

"Are you sure that was Heero?"

Relena was answered with a slap across her face. She winced.

"Relena, don't play dumb!" Kayla scolded, wringing her hand. "Sorry. I've always wanted to do that."

Relena thought for a second that she felt Heero stir beside her. _Good._ She hoped he'd spring awake before anything worse happened. A slap she could deal with, but her tolerance level depended on what was coming next.

"I know all about Heero," Kayla went on. "But, then, I've been tracking the two of you for some time."

Relena just glowered at her. "Then you followed us here?"

"Of course! I staked this place out months ago, knowing you were scheduled to arrive."

Relena searched her memory, trying to recall if she'd seen Kayla lurking around somewhere earlier that night, near the hotel or the pizza place. She wished she'd been paying more attention. She'd been too focused on trying to get Heero to take her on a date. Now she felt like a fool.

"But how-"

"Enough with all the questions." Kayla waved a hand. "It's really not that interesting. Besides, I never answered one of your first questions, which was why I brought you here."

"Right," Relena drolled, silently praying that Heero would leap up. Anytime. She couldn't see whether he'd managed to free his hands. She assumed that by keeping Kayla talking, she'd bought him plenty of time.

Kayla got up and began to fiddle with her machine. "I need some new images for my happy place," she explained, sticking electrodes all over her face and forehead. "I'm going to borrow some of yours."

Relena frowned. "How does that work?"

"Simple. I'll connect the two of us to the machine, initiate the transfer sequence - it's just like moving files, really - and voila, your memories will be mine."

Relena looked doubtfully at the metal heap. If she hadn't thought Kayla was completely crazy, that sealed it. There was just no way that, whatever the thing was, it was capable of doing much of anything, except for maybe giving both of them terrible headaches.

But what if something went wrong? What if Kayla ended up electrocuting them? Relena decided that she'd better stall for a little longer to avoid getting herself hooked up to Kayla's crazy contraption.

"What if you accidentally reverse it?" Relena challenged. "And I get all your memories instead?"

"Oh, you will." Kayla smiled slowly. "That's the point. We switch."

"We switch?" Relena echoed in disbelief.

"Yes. Switcheroo." Kayla laughed. "I'm sorry that you'll be stuck with my fucked-up memories, but I'm going to have so much fun with yours."

Relena started to squirm on the bed. "What exactly do you think you're going to find, anyway? I can't imagine why you'd like to be inside my head."

"Are you kidding me?" Kayla spun around, nearly toppling over her machine. "I'd get to see the years and years you've spent with Heero! Every precious moment. Every romantic gesture, every longing-filled glance. Every kiss. Every…" She looked like she was about to start convulsing.

Now it was Relena's turn to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Kayla whirled on her. "Why are you laughing?!"

"Because it _is_ funny." Relena giggled. "You're delusional."

She was probably pushing the poor, sick girl too far, but Relena couldn't help it. She only laughed harder.

"Stop laughing!" Kayla lunged at her, grabbed her by the shoulders and started to shake. The woman far outweighed Relena, so the motion hurt, but Relena tried to remain firm.

"Kayla, I don't know what assumption you've been operating under," Relena choked, "but you seem to have gotten the impression that Heero and I are a couple."

"But you are!" Kayla gasped, her eyes growing wider. "I've seen you! You're always together, he's always right by your side, he's…" She shook her head vigorously. "It's so obvious to everyone! Don't try to deny it."

"You're imagining it," Relena smiled. "I'm sorry. But if Heero were awake you could ask him yourself, and he'd tell you the truth. Even if we look like we're together, well…" Relena tipped her head. "Appearances can be deceiving, I suppose. But I don't think either one of us has ever intended to look like we're dating. Honestly."

"That's not true!" Kayla was practically sobbing. "You're lying, hoping I'll set you free. Well, once we're both hooked up to my machine, I'll know for sure."

"And if I'm right? You really want my memories, then?"

Kayla released Relena abruptly, sending the smaller woman stumbling back against the pillows.

"I'll take them over mine," she said darkly.

"Kayla." Heero's commanding baritone stopped the woman short. "Let Relena go."

"You're awake!" Kayla sprang back to life, launching herself onto Heero's side of the bed. "I'm so happy to hear your voice! And to see you, at last!" She clapped her hands delightedly. "This is such a happy day…"

 _Happy, happy, happy…_ Relena cringed. She never wanted to hear the word again.

"Kayla, untie Relena. She doesn't need to be here. You don't need to steal her memories."

"But, why not?" Their captor's voice quivered. "This is what I've wanted for so long."

"Why don't you try making some happy memories of your own?"

The suggestion sounded strange, coming from Heero. Relena blinked at him, wondering where he was going with this.

"W-what do you mean?" Kayla stammered.

"Untie me and I'll show you." Heero smirked.

Relena felt her heart beat erratically. She could not believe it. Not for a second. Heero was flirting. _Her_ Heero. She'd never heard him flirt. Or sound so… sexy. He sounded sexy to _her_ all the time, of course, even when he was telling her to leave him alone while he worked on his complex coding, but otherwise…

She saw the exaggerated look in his eye. Of course he was acting. And badly. But Kayla was too naive to catch on.

"But… But Heero, I, ah…" The woman was quickly coming undone. "But… Relena's right here…"

"I don't care about her," Heero said flatly. "She's always annoyed me. I'm better off without her."

The words stung, even if they were false. Probably. Relena did her best to look hurt.

"Ouch, Heero. That's mean." So, she knew her acting was pretty bad, too.

"Shut up, Relena." Heero shot another saucy look at Kayla. "Why don't you let her go already. Then we can be alone."

"Oh, Heero!" Kayla squealed. "You're too much! But I can't just let Relena leave. She'll call the police. Or ESUN."

"Oh, I wouldn't dare," Relena gushed.

"Mmm… I don't believe you." Kayla swung back to face Heero. "So where does that leave us?"

"You can still untie me, at least. Then I'll show you why you can forget all about that little machine."

Kayla tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Very tempting, Heero. But I can't just take you at face value, either. How about I _keep_ you tied up, and we have a little fun first?"

 _This is NOT happening!_ Relena grimaced. _Lucky me, I get a front row seat…_

Kayla was advancing on Heero. He shot Relena a quick glance. She was sure, in her heart of hearts, that he did not want to do anything physical with the other woman. Yet she wondered just how far he was willing to go, if it meant he could ensure their safety.

And just a tiny, tiny part of her wondered why she hadn't thought to tie him up first.

 _Bad Relena,_ a small voice scolded, reminding her where she was. In some strange woman's bedroom on an unknown colony. The odds of escaping this incident unscathed were not in her favor.

But, then, Heero Yuy was with her. And that always, always tipped the odds.

"Come on, Heero, give us just one little kiss…" Kayla was leaning over him, her face mere inches away. "If you're a good boy, I'll think about untying you."

Relena silently urged Heero to do it. Get it over with. Then maybe while Kayla was distracted, Relena could kick her, and they could go from there…

"You know, Kayla," Heero was saying, "I've only ever kissed one woman in my life…"

"Relena?" Kayla said breathily.

"Yeah," Heero answered, smiling up at the other woman. "And I intend to keep it that way."

Kayla toppled backward as Heero's fist connected with her jaw in a loud _crack._

Relena knew Heero had to have something up his sleeve, but he'd manage to take her by surprise as well.

"When did you get your hands untied?" she asked him. "You weren't like that the whole time, were you?"

"You can grill me later," Heero responded, sidling up to Relena on the bed. "We're getting the hell out of here."

He'd knocked Kayla out cold, but the woman was big enough to take a hit. She'd surely be stirring again in a minute.

"All right." Relena nodded up at him. "Untie me, then, and let's go."

She saw Heero hesitate, just for a second, as he hovered above her.

"I don't know…" he murmured. "I kind of like you like this."

"Heero!" she gasped. "This is hardly a time to joke."

He grasped Relena's waist with more force than she was used to, quickly using a knife to sever the ropes that bound her hands.

He bent his head to her ear and whispered, "I wasn't joking."

Relena's face felt hot. But she refused to acknowledge the amorous statement; not in a situation like this.

"I'll deal with you later," she seethed, glaring up at him.

"You'd better."

A moan from the floor caused the two to tear their eyes away from one another.

"She's waking up," Relena whispered.

Heero was already on his feet and grabbing both of Relena's hands. He carefully helped her step over Kayla's body. They tiptoed out of the room before breaking into a run.

Relena was glad she'd traded her heels for flats earlier. It was much easier to keep up with Heero that way, or at least try to.

"We have to call the authorities!" she yelled after him once they had gotten a few blocks away from the apartment building Kayla had absconded herself in.

"We will. Back at the hotel."

Relena finally allowed herself to slow her pace. Her legs were burning. She paused to take in a huge gulp of air.

"I don't want to stay there," she gasped. Although she knew this was likely a freak incident, it didn't make her feel safe on the colony.

"We won't." Heero ceased his running, falling into step beside her. "Are you ok?"

"I'm all right. A little shaken up," she winced. "But otherwise, ok. How about you?"

"Fine." Heero cocked an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, I figured you'd be traumatized." Relena peered up at him. "That woman nearly took advantage of you."

He chuckled under his breath. "That was nothing. I'm more annoyed she managed to capture me in the first place."

"How did she?" Relena frowned. She just couldn't picture it.

"Unfortunately, I was caught off-guard." Relena watched as Heero jammed his hands into his jacket pockets. "I wasn't paying as close attention as usual. I was about to say something to you, and…"

She sucked in a breath. "What were you about to say?"

He furrowed his brow. "I'll get to that…"

Relena realized that it probably wasn't something good. She recalled their conversation outside of the pizza place. About whether or not they were on a date. She hoped he wasn't going to tell her that it wasn't one.

"She came up behind you and put a gun to your head," Heero continued as they walked.

Relena frowned. "I don't remember that."

"You passed out almost instantly. That chloroform stuff is strong. That's how she got me, too. I managed to get the gun away from her, but she had way too much of that stuff for me to withstand. It's… not my proudest moment," he admitted.

"Wow." Relena clucked her tongue. "Maybe next time we should bring some back-up?" She reached out and squeezed his arm, hoping he could tell she was teasing.

"Hey," he barked, clearly not appreciating her attempt at humor. "I never claimed to be infallible."

"I know, Heero." She gave his arm a tug. "These things happen sometimes. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me, and-"

"It's this thing we're doing." Heero halted his steps suddenly, looking down at her, a frown etching itself deeply into his features. "It's a distraction."

"Heero…" Relena lowered her eyes, wishing she could take back her little gibe.

"It's my fault for letting it distract me, but still. I don't think we should continue this way."

Her heart felt as if it could break.

"Don't say that," she whispered imploringly. "Please. What about everything that just happened?"

"Exactly." His gaze was hard. "I can't be stupid about this, Relena. We can't just do whatever we want."

"What is it _you_ want then, Heero?" She tossed the words up at him, hoping they'd land with him somewhere. "What was it you were going to tell me before?"

"It can wait," he said as they approached the hotel. Heero steered her toward the entrance. "Come on. We'd better get inside."

Relena had a feeling that it would be a long time until this matter came up again. But she relented, and traipsed behind Heero.

A/N: What happens when fangirling goes too far… Thank you to all of the readers and reviewers so far! More to come.


	3. Security Measures

Relena sat with a blanket draped over her shoulders as she and Heero gave statements to the police. Heero had placed the blanket over her at some point, as if he assumed she was cold or traumatized. She was neither. More than anything, she was annoyed at Heero for his comments to her on the street. How could there be such a sudden change between the way he acted toward her in the lunatic's apartment and the way he treated her once they were safely outside? As usual, he made her head spin.

The cops left after a while and once again they were alone in their hotel room. Relena plucked the blanket off and decided to get down to business. She went back to arranging her clothes and preparing meeting notes for the following day. She had a presentation to make and planned to attend most of the scheduled meetings. After that, she could relax a little and go to whichever workshops she felt like attending.

Heero came and sat down beside her, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

"You were right," he muttered. "This place sucks. Let's get out of here."

Relena eyed him curiously as she unfolded one of her tops and laid it out on the bed. "Are you serious? After what just happened?"

He shrugged. "You said you didn't want to stay here."

"But where else would we go? All of the other delegates are staying here and besides, I doubt we could find another place at this time of the night." She glanced over at him, puzzled. What had gotten into him?

"We could just leave the colony. Get our own shuttle." He was looking at her in a way that unnerved her. It reminded her of the almost predatory look he'd had in Kayla's apartment. There was something deeply sexual about it that made her heart flutter.

She pursed her lips. "Why would we do that? I have to work tomorrow."

"I'd think after what happened you'd have a good enough excuse to just leave."

"Well, that's not really my style, is it?" Relena smiled slightly. "I always stick around during or after a crisis. I wouldn't want people to think they could rattle me so easily."

"You have a point." Heero rose to his feet and strode over to the couch. "I'll leave you to it."

Relena sighed. "All right. Goodnight."

"Night."

She finished prepping her work things and decided to take a shower before turning in. She kept it short because the water was so cold. Apparently the colony, or at least the hotel, hadn't worked out all the kinks with the plumbing.

Relena was still shivering as she climbed into bed. Heero appeared to be sound asleep on the couch. Apparently he wasn't cold at all; as she predicted, he hadn't even bothered to procure himself a blanket. He had stolen one of her pillows, though.

Relena tiptoed over to him and gently draped an extra blanket over him. She half expected him to bolt up and seize her; she'd learned over the years not to mess with a sleeping Heero. He must have been truly tired because he only stirred a little. Relena crept quietly back over to the bed. She was still freezing, and the thin blanket on the hotel bed wasn't enough to warm her. She wished the flirtatious Heero would come back, and she could coax him into bed with her. For the sake of staying warm, of course.

Frustrated, she allowed herself to cry a few silent tears onto her pillow. When she thought about her relationship with Heero and what could have been, she felt as though she missed someone she'd never even really met. Maybe the romantic Heero Yuy of her dreams was just that - pure fantasy.

* * *

Work was a welcome distraction from Relena's troubles - namely, the one she'd hired as her bodyguard.

But Heero kept a close eye on her throughout the day, sitting or standing right beside her during every meeting, walking closely down hallways and corridors, his eyes constantly darting furtively about. Relena could tell that he was on high alert, probably because he felt so badly about what happened the night before.

As they headed to a luncheon in the hotel with a group of delegates, Heero lightly tugged on Relena's elbow.

"Hey," he murmured. "I need to talk to you for a second."

"Hmm?" Relena lifted her brows in surprise. "What for?"

"Just come here." He guided her gently to what seemed to be a private corner in the hotel lobby. Relena wondered what he might have to say to her that couldn't be said within earshot of the others. For just a second, she allowed herself to get her hopes up again, even if she was being foolish.

"I need to brief you on our new security protocols." Heero looked serious. Relena sighed, feeling the disappointment wash over her. Of course. It was always about that.

"What about them?" Her eyes wandered toward the other side of the room, where a few of her colleagues were hanging back, clearly waiting for her. "Can it wait for later?" Maybe she would put him off, for once. See how he liked it.

"I can explain more later," Heero nodded. "When we're alone."

Relena thought that she detected that certain something in his tone again, indicating that he was talking about something else entirely. But a double entendre, from Heero? She was beginning to think he was incapable of making them, and every flirtatious thing he'd said to her before was just her imagination.

"Is it… more involved than our standard operating procedure?" She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Anything specific I should know?"

He shrugged. "Not really. Let's just say that I plan on staying much closer to you from now on."

 _What?!_ she wanted to shriek. She wasn't sure how much closer he could possibly _be_ ; they were together almost constantly. She felt a shiver rush down her spine. Maybe this _was_ Heero's way of flirting...

"You're not going to follow me into the bathroom, are you?" she blurted out, immediately regretting it. There could be people listening, after all.

Heero chuckled. "No. Unless you want me to."

"No!" she screeched, drawing a few stares from passersby. She grabbed his arm and pulled him tighter into the corner, her back nearly up against the wall. "I don't know what you plan on doing, but…" She sighed, not wanting to get into a major discussion with other people around. She was a lot like Heero in that way. "Whatever it is, I trust you."

"You do?" He drew in a breath, as if he'd been concerned. Relena wasn't used to seeing him look unsure of himself.

"Of course." She tipped her head. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Maybe because I totally screwed up last night." He glanced around, as if he had suddenly become aware of the people around them. "I won't let it happen again."

"It's all right, Heero. You don't have to beat yourself up over it. It wasn't your f-"

"It _was_ my fault," he cut her off. "I let myself get distracted."

Relena frowned up at him, wishing he would stop referring to their relationship - if they could call it that - as a "distraction."

"And I trust that won't happen again, will it?" she said sullenly, lowering her eyes.

"Not if I can help it," he glowered.

"Right. Just like you said." Relena turned to glance back at her colleagues. "Well, I should be going. You can take off for a while, if you like. There's plenty of security at the luncheon already."

"No, I'm coming with you," he said firmly, fixing her with a no-nonsense gaze. "Like I said, increased security."

"Oh. Yes." She nodded. Why did she think he meant anything else? "Well. Come on, then."

She sidestepped him and made for the banquet hall, positive that she could feel Heero's eyes on the back of her head as he followed behind.

* * *

"Relena, it was an accident…" Heero said to her back, as she stormed ahead of him down the hall. She answered him by slamming the door to their room in his face. Of course, she temporarily forgot that he had his own keycard.

She could hear Heero's grumbling on the other side of the door as he fumbled around for his card and at last let himself in. She kept her back turned as he approached her.

"I doubt they have dry cleaning here," she mumbled, dabbing at the purple wine stain on her cream-colored silk dress. "This is never going to come out…" She sounded calm, but her anger was bubbling up inside of her. She couldn't believe Heero had been careless enough to tip her glass over… all _over_ her nice dress.

"I said I was sorry." He was standing so close behind her, she could feel the heat from his breath against her neck. "I… I thought I saw someone…"

"Heero, that's not like you." She whirled on him, striding toward the bathroom to grab another towel. "None of this is like you."

She saw him rake a hand through his unruly bangs. "I know… I just…"

"Would you mind turning around? I have to get out of this thing." Relena didn't wait for a response as she reached up and yanked for the zipper. It was a rather snug dress that was oddly easier to put on than take off; it seemed to mold itself to her figure. She always had trouble snatching the zipper when she wanted to undress. Maybe she was better off getting rid of it. And anyway, she'd gotten it on sale.

She felt his hands then, reaching and tugging the zipper down for her. She froze.

"Don't start…"

Then she gasped at herself. She hadn't meant to say that out loud.

She turned to look at him, almost afraid of what she was about to see. Because if she saw it, she wasn't sure what she was going to do.

But there Heero was, gazing steadily down at her, with his usual stoic expression, except for that slight twitch in his eye. That look could easily turn humorous, but just then, there was no mirth in his expression. No teasing or playfulness.

That twitch was pure desire.

Relena wasn't sure who stepped forward first. They connected nearly instantly, their lips eagerly crashing together. It had been a while since the last time they kissed, but she knew for certain he had never kissed her like _that._

She wanted to enjoy the way his mouth searched hers, taking her in deeper, but she couldn't. Confusion clouded her mind. She forced herself to break away. She even had to push him slightly to get him to back off.

"Stop," she whispered, to make her intentions clear. "Please don't."

"Why?"

"You know very well why." Relena swiveled past him and wandered over to where she'd left her suitcase, searching for something clean to change into.

"I'm afraid I don't." He followed.

Once again she was flinging articles of clothing about, hoping to distract herself from her latest misery. "Don't you remember what you said to me last night? After the whole kidnapping fiasco?"

"Yeah…" Heero just stood still, watching her closely. "What about it?"

Relena seethed, stopping just short of throwing something at him. Since she was holding one of her bras, she decided she'd better not.

"What _about_ it?! Heero…" She quickly stashed the bra back inside her suitcase, hoping she had kept it out of his view. "You drive me completely crazy! You know that, don't you?"

"Well, I should hope so." He perched himself on the edge of the bed, reaching a hand up to stop her from tossing everything out of her suitcase. "What's with you?"

"What's with _you_? You're treating me like a yo-yo lately and I can't handle it. I don't know what you think you're doing, but I…"

"What the hell does that even mean?" He furrowed his brow.

She sighed. The term was probably a little old-fashioned for him. She found herself explaining, "It's a child's toy, Heero. One that you pull, to make it go back and forth, back and forth…" She feigned the motion with her hand. "Get it?" She watched as he nodded, then placed her hands at either hip. "I'm not your toy, Heero."

He took both her hands in his, pulling her to sit down beside him. "I never said you were."

"See what I mean?" She snatched her hands away, sitting on them so he couldn't try the move again. "You keep manipulating me."

"I didn't know you had such a problem with me touching you…"

"I don't!" She had to work to keep from screaming. "That's the problem, Heero! I want you to. All the time. Not just _some_ of the time. Or whenever _you_ feel like it."

He looked shellshocked before quickly recovering. "Is that so?"

"Yes!" She was beyond exasperated. "This shouldn't be so hard to figure out. I mean, honestly…"

Heero shook his head. "Relena, I think you should know that I have no idea what the hell I'm doing."

She laughed drily. "No, I do know…"

"So what are you so upset about?" He was frowning still, looking at her as though he was studying her like the manual to his Gundam.

She refrained from throwing up her hands. "I'm frustrated because you go and kiss me like that - after last night, when you basically told me that this 'thing' between us has to stop. Or did you at some point fall and hit your head in the middle of the night and forget that the whole conversation happened?"

Heero scratched the back of his head. "Relena, I think you misinterpreted what I said."

She laughed again. "No, Heero, you expressed yourself very plainly."

"Relena…" He shook his head slowly. "I was saying we can't go on those stupid dates any more. It's too dangerous. If we hadn't gone out gallivanting, none of that would have happened." He glared at her. "I wanted to stay in and have pizza."

"That's what we do all the -" Relena stopped mid-sentence, gaping at him open-mouthed, realizing what he was saying. "Heero. You mean…"

"What?" He still wasn't putting it all together, she thought. Would she have to start all over again?

She placed a hand on her forehead. "Are you… are you saying that you want to keep… doing this with me? Whatever it is we're doing?"

He surprised her with his laugh. She looked at him in disbelief as he recovered himself. When he stopped, he reached over to brush back a loose strand of her hair.

"I want to keep things the way they are." He shrugged. "I don't see why we have to go out and do things like everybody else. What's the big deal?"

 _What's the big deal?_ Relena wanted to laugh, too. But she was still confused. Until she remembered something else she'd wanted to ask him…

"What was it you were going to say to me outside of the restaurant?" She scooted closer to him, happy to finally have him pinned so he'd _have_ to answer her.

"If you could call it a restaurant," he quipped.

She poked his arm. "Funny. I'm serious. You were going to say something…"

He shrugged. "I don't remember."

"Oh, no you don't." She moved even closer. "You don't forget anything…"

He rubbed his head. "I'm a little fuzzy today. Sorry."

"Ok, I'll refresh your memory." Relena folded her arms. "I was saying to you how it wasn't a bad first date, overall, and that seemed to stop you in your tracks. I thought you were about to debate me on whether that constituted a date, or whether we should even be on one. Or something." She sucked in a breath, awaiting his reply.

"Oh, yeah." Heero smirked. "Yeah. I was."

"I knew it." She sank further back on the bed. "So it wasn't a date, right? Even though you paid?"

"No, it was a date." Heero leaned back, too, so that they were lying side by side. "But it wasn't our first."

Relena bolted up. "What?"

Heero just chuckled, remaining where he was.

She frowned down at him. "When was it, then?"

He reached for her hand, and yanked her back down beside him. She almost fell onto his chest.

"For me it was that time we went on a picnic. I don't know much about dating, but that seemed like a date to me."

Relena's heart began thumping wildly. She thought back to that day in the Sanc Kingdom all of the time. It was the first time she'd seen Heero so relaxed and carefree. And she remembered how she felt like she was floating on a pink, cotton candy cloud all day, wrapped in a secure little bubble of warm and fuzzy feelings, falling asleep that night thinking, _He_ must _love me!_

Of course, nothing had actually transpired between them that demonstrated solid evidence of his feelings for her, other than the fact that he was there. But it was enough to sustain her at the time. After a while, she'd convinced herself that she had just let her imagination run wild.

"That… that was a date?" Her words came out breathy as he tipped her chin up with one finger.

"It was to me."

Her dreamy gaze turned to a frosty glare. "Heero, that was three and a half years ago."

His dark eyes looked full and innocent. "And?"

"And! We have _not_ been dating all of this time." She could not believe she still had to spell all of this out for him.

"I never said we were dating, either…" His finger was tracing her jaw. She struggled to grasp onto the words she wanted to say to him and somehow get them to form into sentences.

"Then what are we doing?"

"This."

She should have known he would pull her in for another kiss. She attempted to slap him away.

"Maybe I don't want _this_." Relena massaged her bottom lip, which stung after she'd backed away from him so abruptly that Heero had accidentally bitten down. Or maybe he had done that on purpose. She looked over at him bashfully. "What is _this_ , anyway?"

"I don't know." He propped himself up on his elbows. "But I expect you're going to tell me." She wasn't looking at him any more, but she immediately recognized the smirk in his tone.

"If this is your idea of dating, then… we have been moving at a glacial pace." She started picking at the gauzy fabric of the duvet they were sitting on.

"You know, I don't claim to be an expert on this stuff." Heero frowned. "You've filled me in on all these social cues over the years."

 _Ha!_ Relena wanted to laugh. And she'd thought he hadn't been paying much attention.

"I've done my best," she admitted, smiling slightly. His social ineptness and utter cluelessness was starting to tug at her heartstrings. _Stop it!_ she warned herself.

"And I've been doing my best to read you," he continued. "Sometimes it seems like you don't want me near. And other times…"

"Other times, what?" She challenged, refusing to let the matter drop. She had to at least try to figure out what he was thinking.

He shrugged. "Other times you look like you want me to kiss you. So I do."

She sighed. "And what about what _you_ want? By all means, don't feel like you have to cater to _me_ …"

"I'm doing what I want," he said gruffly.

She blinked at him. "Are you sure?"

He nodded.

Relena braced herself. "And what do you mean by that, exactly?"

He looked confused. "What do I mean by… what?"

"I mean, do you think of yourself more as my bodyguard, or my…" She paused, searching for the right term. It already sounded stupid in her head, and she knew it would only sound worse out loud, but it needed saying. "My... boyfriend?"

Heero looked horrified, although he attempted to mask his reaction quickly. "I…" His resolve obviously weakened, as his face appeared to collapse into confusion. "I don't know."

Relena's heart sank. She should have known better than to try to extract some form of commitment from him, or convince him to take on some trivial title. It would have been too simple and perfect. No one could ever make Heero Yuy into a mere "boyfriend."

She was crestfallen, but tried to appear nonchalant.

"It's fine," she said in a clipped voice. "I'm not asking you to be. I just needed to know."

 _And after you kissed me and I told you I loved you and everything, you jerk,_ her inner monologue seethed.

He was still frowning at her. "I'm sorry. I just don't like that term."

 _Most men don't,_ she figured. Why should Heero be any different?

Then he took her hand, gently stroking her fingers.

"I… I guess I sort of thought we were past that."

She wondered when he was going to stop shocking her into oblivion whenever he admitted a hint of his feelings for her. If ever.

"Past that? When did we start?"

"I already told you when I thought it started. Clearly I was wrong."

Relena started laughing until her shoulders shook up and down.

"What?" He looked only more perplexed, even a little hurt. "What is it?"

She placed a hand on his shoulder, looking at him through teary eyes. She wiped a stray tear away as she laughed.

He frowned at her. "Relena, I think you need more sleep."

"Heero, don't you see?" She threw up both hands. "We've been on completely different pages this whole time."

"I don't see how that's funny," he grumbled.

"Well, I do." She grinned at him. "I have to try to see the humor in this. Otherwise it's just plain sad."

He opened his mouth as if to speak before clamping it shut again. Relena decided to take advantage of his puzzlement.

"And last night? When I told you that I loved you? Did that completely throw you, or what?"

He regained his composure, squaring his jaw. "Why would that have thrown me?"

"You know. Because I'd never said it before. I figured I shocked the living daylights out of you. You didn't even respond."

"I recall telling you to be quiet."

"Yeah…" She rolled her eyes. "There was that. Typical." She snorted.

His glare deepened. "We were in a hostage situation. I was listening for our captor's footsteps."

"Oh, yes…" Relena was on the verge of a fresh giggle fit. "Kayla the terrible…" She lost it.

Heero attempted his version of calming her down, seizing her by the waist and pulling her into his chest, grasping her tightly against him.

"Would you knock it off already?" he mumbled grumpily.

Relena let out a muffled "sorry" against his shirt.

Then she realized.

"You weren't surprised, then?" She lifted her head to look up at him. "When I said it."

"No. Should I have been?"

If he hadn't been holding her still, Relena was sure she would have fallen off of the bed.

"I would think hearing me say those particular words out loud for the first time would have elicited some type of reaction. But really? You felt nothing?"

He had to feel something, her mind insisted. He wasn't a robot. She could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest right then and there.

"I didn't say that…" He frowned."I just said it wasn't surprising to me."

She tried to smack his shoulder; it was the only place on him that she could reach, the way he was holding her. "You're telling me you knew, all this time?"

"Well, yeah. You're not exactly what I would call discreet…"

"Heero!" Relena gasped, her cheeks coloring in fresh embarrassment. She didn't expect him to keep talking then, but he did. "You kept on insisting we go out on a date… What else was I supposed to think?"

Relena groaned. "I think I'm losing my mind…"

Another question plagued her, but she wanted to hold it in. Her mind kept taunting her, _Out with it._

"Heero…"

She paused. She didn't want to ask him. She didn't want to know. But didn't she need to?

"Yeah."

She fought to find her courage.

"If… if you've been thinking of us as being… together, all of this time…" She swallowed. "Is there a reason you haven't said that to me?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for a blow. Not a physical one, of course. But her heart was poised for the breaking.

She felt his hand cup her face, smoothing her hair back at the same time. Relena dared herself to open her eyes. The look on his face was gentle and kind, his dark eyes looking lighter than they usually were, this time an almost cerulean blue. And he was smiling. Her own eyes widened.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didn't know it needed saying."

She blinked several times, still unsure of his meaning. He managed to cloak his feelings so well.

"Heero." Her voice, like her breathing, had grown ragged. "Are you saying…"

"Relena, I…"

She shot a hand up and placed it over his mouth. "Don't say it if you don't want to. Especially if you don't mean it."

He mumbled something behind her hand. She slowly took it away. "I'm serious," she added. "If you're just trying to appease me then I don't want to hear it."

"I doubt you'd believe me anyway."

"You're right." She sighed. "Not at this point. You could say just about anything to me now, and I'd…"

"You'd what?" Somehow he managed to draw her even closer to him. They'd never been pressed up so close. Relena could feel… well, everything. And she realized very quickly that there was at least one way to tell what Heero Yuy was thinking. A very obvious physical sign that at the very least, he wanted her.

She felt her face burn scarlet.

"I…"

She didn't get to finish her sentence. After what felt like several minutes of kissing, they broke apart. Relena gasped for air.

Heero fingered the bottom of her dress. "Remind me why you're still wearing this thing."

"Oh. Right." Relena looked down in dismay at the wine stain. "Well… I…"

"Sorry about your dress," he added.

She tipped her head, smiling at him. "It's all right. I'm pretty used to having you ruin my dresses…"

"Oh, really?" He knocked her back down on the bed, quickly positioning himself on top of her. "I don't think I've ruined quite enough of them." His hands trailed up her back to where he'd left off unzipping earlier.

"Oh, no you don't." Relena grasped both of his arms. "Heero Yuy, I am not about to lose my virginity in this hotel room."

He looked taken aback by her frankness. "We don't have to go that far."

"This is far enough." She sat up, tugging down the hem of her dress. "I don't mean to be a prude, but…"

"Then don't." He bent his head toward her for another kiss. She turned her face away.

"Heero, I really don't want to do this here…"

"Is it that bad?" He glanced around the room. "It's just a hotel."

How to explain to him what she wanted? It didn't need to be a fairytale wedding or Valentine's Day with roses and candy hearts, but she definitely wanted more than _this_.

"This… this is just happening so fast," she said weakly. "I think I need more time to process everything. I mean, just before this, I had no idea how you really felt about me…"

"I'm sorry for not making that clear enough." He looked at her intently.

"Well, it sure took you long enough to make a move." She poked his chest, attempting a smile. "And then when you finally did… you really went for it." Her eyes widened.

"Yeah…" He scratched his head. "Sorry about that. Normally I'm better at controlling these, ah… urges."

Relena stifled a laugh. "Oh, so you've had them before?"

He nodded. "Plenty of times."

"Like when?" She challenged.

His hand came up to rest on her neck, where he began to massage slowly, until it was inside the top of her dress.

"That's classified," he murmured.

She gave a little huff of irritation. "You'll tell me. Eventually."

His lips twitched into a grin. "Unlikely."

She tried not to melt into his massage; his touch was paralyzing her. "I can be convincing too, you know…"

"I know. And you'd be much more convincing if you were out of this dress…"

"There you go again," Relena scolded, swatting his hands away. "Getting all dark and dangerous…" She shot him a glare. "You know for a bodyguard, you're not doing the best job of actually _guarding_ my body…"

That got a laugh out of Heero. "You're right. Which reminds me. New security protocol."

 _Ahh, that did it,_ she thought. It was easy to figure out Heero Yuy's triggers, after all. Now she knew just how to shift him from business mode to, well, business mode. _So bringing up work is Heero Yuy's version of a cold shower?_ She nearly giggled, making a mental note.

"That's right. You were going to fill me in." _Once we were alone._

"I'm sure you've figured most of it out." He gave a slight smile. "You know my methods."

"All you said was that you were going to stick closer, but…"

Relena waited for Heero to fill in the blanks. All she got was another one of his smirks. Apparently there was some little joke that she wasn't in on.

"Yeah. Well. I started implementing the new protocol and all you've done is complain."

She gasped, wagging a finger at him. "Heero Yuy! Since when did your seducing me become part of your _protocol_?"

"There you go complaining again," he said flatly. "I thought you wanted me to touch you."

She felt her facing getting hot again. If he kept on embarrassing her like that, she feared her whole head would explode.

"Yes, but… is that _really_ what you meant by 'new security protocol'?" She quirked an eyebrow. "Or are you just messing with me?"

"That's pretty much what I meant." He inched closer to her. Relena backed up.

"You're not serious."

"I am."

"I don't believe you."

He reached for her face. "You should."

It was growing more and more difficult not to succumb to temptation. "I think you're just looking for an excuse to sleep with me," she taunted him. "As if you needed one. You could have just asked."

"I don't need an excuse," he countered, pausing to plant a few kisses down her neck. "I think I should be closer to you. I didn't think you'd mind."

She had to agree with him there. At least they finally seemed to be on the same page. She sighed, closing her eyes blissfully.

"Well, you could've said something earlier… this could have been so much easier."

"The point is moot now." Heero lifted his lips from her skin. "You said you don't want to do it here. We don't have to."

"No?" Her eyes fluttered back open. "You won't be too disappointed?"

"Nah." He sat back up. "It can wait until we get home."

 _Home._ Her heart flipped over. He meant _their_ home. She had to remind herself that he was still talking about having sex with her, albeit it in a pretty romantic way. At least for Heero.

"So why now?" She found herself asking him while they were still side by side. "What was it that pushed you over the edge?"

"You mean…"

"You could have attempted this at any time." She cocked an eyebrow. "But then you cornered me earlier with this new protocol thing. Did you just pull that out of thin air, or what?"

"No. I told you, I've thought of this before." He shrugged. "I guess it just felt like the right time."

She jabbed a finger at his chest. "Admit it. You spilled that wine on me on purpose to lure me into the bedroom."

He caught her hand in his, his expression remaining neutral while his eyes seemed to twinkle at her. "It really was an accident."

"Nice try," Relena quipped. "Somehow I don't believe you."

He said nothing in response, and a comfortable silence lapsed between them. Relena finally felt like she could relax around him; at last, she knew the feelings she'd long harbored for him were requited, even more than she could have hoped for. Although things hadn't exactly unfolded the way they had in her most secret reveries, she felt content for the first time in a long while.

"What do you want to do now?" She asked after a while.

"You already know the answer." The look he gave her was downright devilish.

"Yes." She cleared her throat delicately, hoping he didn't notice her blush. "I'm well aware."

"You still need to change."

"Yes." She leapt to her feet, clutching at whatever clothing items were nearest to her. "I'll be right back." Relena scurried away before Heero could follow her and locked herself in the bathroom.

Maybe a cold shower _would_ help.


	4. Getaway

As Relena turned the shower faucet and waited for the water to warm up, just a little, she surveyed the garments she'd grabbed. To her dismay, all she had was a white slip and a pair of nylons. She couldn't exactly wear those without underwear, could she? And now that's all she had to put on; she would have to go back to her suitcase and root around for something more suitable. With Heero Yuy sitting right there, waiting. She blushed.

Of course, she could go back out there in her stained dress, but Heero had already threatened to destroy it once. And unlike previous threats of his, she knew he had every intention of following through on this one.

As Relena stepped into the still-cold shower, she wondered what she was so afraid of, anyway. This was _Heero_. All she'd ever wanted was to deepen her relationship with him; now that it was happening, all she was doing was cowering, shrinking back from his touch. She knew he would never hurt her; he'd made that clear by devoting himself to her, staying by her side but never asking her for more than a kiss. Now those kisses had grown a little more passionate, and for some reason, it shook her to the core.

 _I'll have to get over it,_ she thought as she scrubbed herself with a rose-scented body wash. _This isn't supposed to be scary; it's supposed to be fun._

Maybe once they were back home, like he'd said… Relena's nose wrinkled. No. She didn't like the idea of losing her virginity in the ancient Peacecraft estate, either. Why, her bedroom was the master suite, the one her birth parents had occupied. Even if she hardly remembered them, the idea of _doing it_ in that bed disturbed her. Even if, on many nights in the past, she had fantasized about Heero bursting through those doors and ravishing her right there. Why, oh why, was it so much easier to imagine being that way with him than to just let herself go and enjoy it?

Relena realized that the shower had stopped; it was on an eco-timer to save water, a precious resource on both Earth and in the colonies. She'd freeze if she stood there naked for too long. But she did just that for a moment, examining herself in the bathroom mirror, which hadn't fogged up at all since the shower hadn't let off any steam.

Her hands ran over her belly, trying to push down the little paunch that was showing. Maybe she was still a little puffy from the long shuttle ride. She frowned. She knew she was thin, but that didn't mean she had a good figure. She turned to the side, examining her breasts. She'd always wished they were just a little larger and rounder; they certainly didn't seem all that impressive. She wondered what Heero would think. She knew from catching glimpses of him shirtless that his body was something to marvel at; when he wasn't working on his computer or following her around, he was usually working out. He seemed to have muscles in places that she didn't even realize existed, even though he appeared to be rather slim. Would he think that she needed to get in better shape? She frowned at herself in the mirror as a rap sounded on the bathroom door.

"Relena… Everything ok in there?"

"Fine!" She forced cheeriness into her voice. "I'm fine."

"Well, I don't know if you're planning to go back to work today, but if so, you have a meeting in fifteen minutes."

Her face drained. She had completely lost track of the time. She wrapped a big, fluffy towel around herself and began to dry off. The hotel didn't offer any bathrobes, but at least the towels weren't too bad. She'd still have to get "dressed" in her little slip and face Heero. She couldn't hide in there stalling all day.

"I'll be right there," she called.

"You sure you don't want to skip?"

She smiled as she tugged the slip over her head. "Tempting. But I can't have everyone thinking that I'd play hooky for the rest of the day just because I spilled a little wine on my dress. Can you imagine? I'd never live it down."

"It was my fault…"

"I know." She quickly brushed through her hair, taking one more glance at the mirror before reaching for the door. The thin slip didn't leave much to the imagination, but maybe if she walked quickly enough, she could bypass Heero without incident.

"Anyway…" she continued as she swung the door open and beheld him standing there. "I am the girl who attended a dance in her school uniform, remember."

He quirked an eyebrow at her, scanning her up and down appreciatively. "No kidding."

She smiled and glided past him toward her suitcase, feeling his eyes on her back the entire way.

"You're not going out like that, are you?"

"Be serious, Heero." Relena quickly picked through the contents of her suitcase, searching for something that wasn't too wrinkled; there was no time to press anything. She settled on a black and white polka-dotted a-line dress that wouldn't clash too badly with the cream-colored crepe blazer she'd worn over her other dress earlier. She already had her slip and nylons, so she grabbed panties and a bra. She wouldn't forget those this time.

Relena strode past Heero, back to the bathroom, catching his eye and looking away shyly. His eyes held an amused glint.

"You have five minutes," he warned.

"Well, I'm hurrying, but they'll survive if I'm a few minutes late." In the bathroom she quickly pulled on the bra and panties, maneuvering around her slip, then added the nylons. Finally she yanked the new dress over her head and zipped it up before topping it off with her blazer, which she'd hung on the door's hook. Her makeup bag was already on the sink, so she freshened up her powder, added another coat of mascara and slicked on some berry-tinted lip gloss.

 _Much better,_ she thought. At least she looked ready to face her colleagues once more.

"Ok, I'm ready." She exited the bathroom and found her black patent pumps and briefcase. She glanced up at Heero as she slipped on her shoes. "And no more wine for you." She gave him a wink.

"Hn." Heero grabbed his laptop bag and followed her out the door, locking it behind them. "Something tells me I'm going to need it."

* * *

Heero seemed to be rather distracted during an afternoon presentation by the colony's economic development board. Relena noticed him fidgeting throughout the meeting; tapping his pen loudly on the table in front of them, squirming around in his seat, his legs shaking the whole time. At one point Relena reached under the desk and placed her hand on his knee, hoping to help calm him down. He caught her eye for a moment and glowered at her as if she had broken his train of thought. She wondered what on earth could be bothering him; Heero normally wasn't one to fidget.

It was becoming increasingly difficult for Relena to focus on what the committee members were saying. And since she didn't have an assistant with her, she was stuck taking her own notes. She looked down at her tablet and realized that she'd been scrawling gibberish. She sighed and gave up, trying to pay sharper attention and take mental notes instead.

A few hours later, Relena and the other officials shuffled out of the conference room, many heading back to the banquet hall for cocktail hour. Once again, she felt Heero steering her aside. Not eager to stand around making small talk with a wineglass in hand, Relena turned and followed Heero silently. He was leading her to the elevator.

He pressed the buttons and then guided her inside, his hand lingering on the small of her back as the elevator doors closed behind them. Relena thought, just for a second, that his hand dipped lower than usual. She looked up at him, her lower lip quivering. The look he returned was dark and intense, as if he were in the middle of plotting something. She almost felt like she was bothering him.

"What are you doing?" she asked softly, hoping she hadn't caught him in another one of his moods.

"What?" Her voice had apparently shaken him out of his private reverie. "Nothing." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared straight ahead.

"Well, where are we going?"

"Back to the room." He shrugged. "Figured you'd want to rest after that long meeting. What a bore."

She chuckled and started massaging the back of her neck, which was stiff from sitting in a hard backed chair for far too long. "Rest wouldn't be a bad idea, but…" She glanced back over at him. "Why do I have a feeling that you have something else in mind?"

His lips twitched in response. Relena got the sense that he was holding back from her.

As soon as they were back in the hotel room, she got her answer. He grabbed hold of her waist and pressed her tight against him.

"You're driving me crazy," he murmured, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke. She started to say his name but he was kissing her before she could get the word out.

"Heero!" She gasped when she finally managed to wriggle away. "What did we discuss earlier?" Her tone was only mildly scolding, the flush on her face giving her feelings away. Of course she didn't mind him kissing her. It troubled her, how much she didn't mind.

"I know you don't want to stay here," he added as he started kissing down her neck. "So pick someplace else. I want to stay with you. Tonight."

Her eyes widened, panic seizing her body. "Tonight?"

"Uh-huh." His lips were still against her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut, her mind whirring frantically. She knew it was what she wanted, too, but so soon? And yet how could she talk him out of it?

Or talk _herself_ out of it?

"I don't know where else to go," she said helplessly. "Everyone else is staying here. I don't even know what else is opened yet…"

"So you weren't paying any attention during that meeting, either." He smirked.

"I knew _you_ weren't." She swatted his arm. "And you were making me crazy, all that fidgeting around."

"My thoughts were elsewhere," Heero growled, leading Relena toward the bed. "You shouldn't have let me see you wearing so little earlier." He paused to kiss her lips again. "Big mistake."

"It couldn't be helped…" Relena gave up trying to explain it to him, rapidly wondering how she was going to get his mind off sex. If that were even possible - Heero Yuy was known for his single-minded determination. He rarely, if ever, left things unfinished. His hands were already fumbling for the zipper on her dress.

She tried to take hold of his hands, attempting one last time to reason with him. Relena had talked Heero out of shooting her before, after all.

"We can go somewhere else," she breathed into his ear. "All right?"

"Now." His tone was commanding. Relena sighed, pretending to be cross with him, when truthfully she didn't mind one bit.

"We'll have to pack first…"

"Roger." But he was still kissing her, his lips hovering dangerously close to her cleavage. She chided herself for wearing a dress that was even remotely low-cut.

"And you'll have to book us another room."

"Consider it done." His hands had come up to join his lips, and he was tugging at the collar of the dress, trying to expose more of her skin. Relena felt herself weakening.

"Heero…"

"All right." He stopped fondling her abruptly and stood, stomping over to the door, where he'd dropped his laptop bag in a hurry. "I'll see what else I can find." He looked up at her, frowning. "Doesn't have to be on this colony, does it?"

Relena sat up on the bed, straightening her dress and smoothing out her now-mussed hair. "It does if I'm going to attend the rest of this conference…" Heero grunted. He didn't seem pleased with that notion and frankly, neither was she. She tapped her fingers on the bedside table next to her.

"Maybe I could invent some type of emergency…" She watched the slow smile forming on Heero's face.

"I don't see why you need to stay the rest of the week, anyway." He sat down on the couch, perching his laptop on his knees. "I think it's time you take a vacation."

"Vacation?" Relena spoke it as though it was a foreign word. She couldn't recall the last time she'd gone on holiday; probably not since her adopted father was still alive. "Well…" She smiled wryly, standing up and striding over to Heero. She leaned over the back of the sofa and watched as he started scrolling through vacation packages on a travel website. "You're one to talk. You never use any of your accrued time off, either."

"There's a first time for everything." He turned his head to look at her and gave her a tiny smirk. "And I mean everything."

"Uh-huh, I get it." Relena rolled her eyes playfully. "I understand what this whole 'vacation' thing is about."

"Well, you want to go somewhere romantic, apparently." Heero returned his attention to the computer screen. "I'm no good at that stuff, so you'll just have to pick something."

"Ok…" Relena beamed, thinking of the possibilities. So Heero wanted to run away someplace with her, and she got to pick where? She could go with that.

She looped her arms around his neck as he clicked through several options.

"Ooh, Italy would be nice." Relena pointed to a link. "Or the South of France…"

"Those aren't exactly far-off locations. I figured you'd want something more exotic. We could do a weekend in Paris or Venice anytime."

"Then how come we never have?"

Heero paused his typing. "We, uh, weren't doing _this_ before."

"Oh." Relena pressed her cheek against his face, her heart doing flips. Weekends in Paris, with Heero? Was this what her future held? She could hardly stand it. She gave him another affectionate squeeze.

"What about this place?" Heero opened a page on Bora Bora. "Looks nice. Relaxing."

Relena just gasped, taking in the images of palm trees and sparkling turquoise water. "You want to take me all the way to Tahiti?"

"Bora Bora or Tahiti. Whatever. They look the same." Heero's tone was flat, but Relena wondered if deep down, he was just as excited as she was. Her heart began to thump wildly when she watched him scroll over a honeymoon package. Did he even know what that was?

"But Heero." She cleared her throat. "This trip is really expensive…"

"Don't worry about it." She watched as he opened another tab and started looking up airfare.

"Well, I don't want you paying for this whole thing yourself…" She frowned.

"I haven't been working for free all these years, you know." Relena detected an edge to his tone. "It's fine."

She sighed, always hating the topic of finances. Yes, she had plenty of money, but discussing it made her uncomfortable. And the thought of Heero spending his hard-earned salary on her was equally uncomfortable.

"But Heero…"

"I'm not exactly a spendthrift, Relena," he joked, looking up at her and giving a small smile. "I have plenty in savings. You could let me pay for something for once." He turned his head back to the computer. "Besides pizza."

She relaxed, his joke putting her more at ease. "All right, but just this once. This is going to cost a small fortune, flying all the way there. Not to mention, that's going to be a really long flight. And I thought you wanted to get away tonight?"

"I do." Relena watched as Heero started purchasing various tickets. "It's going to take a few connecting flights, but it'll be worth it."

"You think so?" _Talk about a long wait,_ she thought.

"Yeah. I know you'll make it up to me." He chuckled.

"Hmm. No pressure." Relena loosened her grip on Heero's shoulders, standing up. She didn't want to watch him enter his credit card information.

"No pressure," he murmured. "I haven't pressured you in the past, have I?"

"No," she replied softly, thinking of the years that had passed between them, the subtle touches and brief kisses that, before this week, she could nearly count on one hand.

"So. This doesn't have to be a big deal. We'll do whatever you want. Understood?" He looked over at her for an answer. Relena wondered if he could make any sense out of her anxiety. Maybe during their next few flights, she'd confide in him a little. They would have plenty of time to talk then. For now, she nodded her consent, and he gave her a nod back.

"Good. We're almost all set…"

She listened to him typing for a few minutes and started packing her things up once more. She'd have to think of an excuse to tell ESUN why she had to bolt in the middle of the conference, but would anyone truly mind? She hoped not. Her presentations were finished and she could always follow up on the rest by watching the meeting videos during her flights.

Relena finished packing up her clothes and went to the bathroom to retrieve her makeup and other toiletries. Heero was still working on his laptop. She returned to the bed, where she'd placed her suitcase, and packed up her last few items. She thought about changing into something more casual for the flight, but their getaway would look less planned if she stayed in her work clothes, she decided.

Oh, dear. Work clothes. Relena realized that was all she'd packed; not exactly suitable for vacationing on a tropical island.

"Did you book us a flight back to Brussels?" She called to Heero. "We should stop home first so we can pack different things…"

"If we go home first, it'll take longer," came his response.

"But I packed for a business trip, not vacation." She frowned, looking at her neatly folded clothes. She did not want to wear skirts and blazers on the beach.

"You can just shop for new stuff when we get there." Heero obviously didn't understand the female plight.

"Well, that's wasteful," Relena pouted.

She saw him shrug from the couch. "Anything you wear around me is going to get destroyed, anyway."

"Oh, we'll see about that." She stuck her tongue out as she finished the last of her packing.

As she zipped her suitcase shut, she felt Heero come up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her back against his chest. She shut her eyes lazily, just for a moment. It felt good, having him so close. She felt more secure than ever. She placed her hands on top of his and squeezed.

"You ready?" he murmured against her hair.

"Mm-hm." She turned, still in his arms, and laced hers around his neck. She couldn't help but grin up at him. "So we're finally going to have some fun, you and I?"

"Yeah. Guess so." He squeezed her waist. "Are you happy?"

"Very." She tipped her chin up, parting her lips, demonstrating to him that she was ready and willing to accept his kiss. "Very happy…"

She felt a zing of heat as his mouth met hers. Relena realized, as the kiss deepened, that she was ready to take this next step with Heero, and whatever else might be coming next.

But Relena should have realized that "happy," in her case, was becoming an unlucky term.

Just as she and Heero were heading for the door, they heard a crash coming from another corner of the room. The pair whirled around simultaneously.

"Heero!"

"Get down!" He was pushing her to the floor before she could even lower herself.

The crash had come from a closet on the other side of the room. Heero drew and aimed his gun, waiting for whoever was inside to reveal himself.


	5. Surprise

The person who wrenched open the door and stumbled forward was a she. And she was tall, blond and wearing a pink suit.

"Kayla?!" Relena gasped from the floor.

Heero's finger rested comfortably on the trigger. "Don't move." Kayla raised her arms obediently, but her hands weren't empty. She was holding what appeared to be a mobile phone, but to a bodyguard, it could have been a bomb.

"Surrender your device," Heero barked. "Place it carefully on the floor and slide it over."

Kayla's face was flushed, beads of sweat apparent even from the other side of the room. Relena watched as the woman hesitated.

"Now," Heero hissed.

Kayla did as she was told. Relena started to reach for the device once it was near them, but Heero stepped in front of her hand, blocking her with his foot. He kept the gun trained on Kayla's face and reached down slowly with his free hand to retrieve the item before addressing its owner.

"What are you doing here?"

Kayla swallowed. "I…"

"Answer the question!"

"I thought you were arrested," Relena piped up.

Kayla grinned slowly. "I escaped. The police force here is quite incompetent."

Heero clicked the safety off his gun. "Why did you come here?"

"To see you both. Of course." Kayla blinked at them with a childlike expression.

"You didn't get what you wanted last time so you came back for more?" Heero's eyes tightened into a nasty glare.

"No. They confiscated my machine." She frowned. "But don't worry, I'll get it back."

"You're not taking us with you this time. I'll blow your head off if you make one move."

Relena's eyes widened. She knew Heero was deadly serious and hoped Kayla would be reasonable. She was standing there, shaking visibly, her arms still up in the air, saying nothing as Heero continued to berate her.

"I mean it. One move and you're leaving this room in pieces."

Relena watched as Kayla struggled to get her shaking under control.

"Now tell me what you're doing here."

"I wanted to see if it worked," Kayla blurted.

Both Heero and Relena looked confused. "See if what worked?" Relena asked.

"The drug I gave Heero." For once, Kayla looked genuinely afraid, wincing as Heero charged closer.

"The what?!" he growled.

"It's just an amphetamine." Kayla squeezed her eyes shut as Heero pushed the barrel of his gun against her forehead.

"A… what?" Relena frowned, worried that Heero had been poisoned. She thought of the way he'd been shaking earlier; that wasn't like him.

Heero frowned. "It's a chemical stimulant that's found in hallucinogens, such as cocaine. So you wanted me high?" he growled at Kayla. "What for?"

"What I used is more of a phenthylamine," she answered weakly. "It's like a mega-dose of aphrodisiac."

 _That_ word, Relena knew. Her eyes widened. "But why?"

Heero looked flummoxed. "You…"

"You're not high, Heero!" Kayla cried out. "You're just… horny."

"Is this some kind of sick joke?!" Heero looked like he was about to pull the trigger. Relena leaped to her feet.

"Heero, wait!"

"I wasn't trying to hurt you, Heero!" Kayla cried again, turning her head to the side, wincing as if she expected to feel the blow any second.

"Then why did you do it?" Relena asked calmly, standing behind Heero.

"I just… I wanted to get him riled up."

"Why?"

"So you would do it with him and I could film you!"

Relena could practically feel Heero shaking in anger. "You crazy bitch."

"Heero," she warned.

"Not now, Relena." His gaze was fixed on Kayla, his lip snarling into a scowl. "I'm ending this nonsense."

Relena quickly pulled out her phone and started tapping away. "Heero, I just sent a text to the front desk. They'll send security up. There's no need for you to take any further action."

Heero was still aiming his weapon. "She'll just break out of jail again."

Kayla remained wide-eyed. "I don't want to go back to jail!"

"Would you rather be dead?" Heero barked.

Kayla sniffed. "No…"

"Kayla, you're going somewhere where you can get help. I'll make sure of it." Relena fixed a hard stare on the other woman. "Do you understand me?"

Kayla bobbed her head up and down, blond bangs shaking. "Yes, Relena. I'm sorry."

Relena wondered why her enemies always ended up apologizing to her. "Don't be sorry. Swear you'll never do anything like this again." The look she gave Kayla was heavy with pity, conveying the full weight of her disapproval.

Kayla swallowed. "I won't."

"Heero," Relena tried again. "Back away now."

"No."

Relena sighed. Just then, the hotel security, along with a few police officers, broke in the hotel room door, brandishing guns and tasers. She turned and eyed the splintered door in dismay. "Now that was a little unnecessary, boys…"

"The situation is under control," Heero said flatly.

"Stand down, sir," a uniformed man instructed Heero, flashing a badge at him. "We're taking her into custody."

Heero glared at the man but eventually obeyed, holstering his gun. He trudged over to Relena, averting her gaze.

"Let's get out of here."

Relena watched as Kayla was handcuffed and led out of the room, looking back at them with one last mournful gaze as the officers dragged her down the hall. Relena just sighed again, ignoring Heero for the time being in order to answer questions from the officers that stayed behind.

It was a deja vu of the night before, except this time Heero urged the law enforcers to do a better job of guarding their prisoners while Relena advocated for Kayla to receive mental health counseling. A suited man who introduced himself as the hotel manager hurried into the room while they were still giving their statements to the police and apologized to Heero and Relena, offering to give them the room for free for the rest of the week. Relena just waved him off but thanked him for the gesture.

"We're checking out," Heero interjected. "Immediately."

Guests staying nearby were peering out of their doorways, but when the manager left he asked everyone to return to their rooms. Their voices sounded far away to Relena as finally, the police swept out of the room, leaving her alone with Heero once more.

 _Relena…_ His voice was far away from her, too. He brought her back to the present by touching his hand to her face. "Relena."

She shook her head, blinking several times. "Hm?"

"We're leaving. Let's go."

Heero took hold of both their suitcases, along with his laptop bag and Relena's, leaving her with just her briefcase and purse. She followed numbly behind him.

They didn't bother to check out at the front desk, assuming the manager had taken care of things. They stepped outside of the hotel and started walking toward the spaceport, which was located a short distance away.

"Sorry I didn't have time to get a car," Heero explained needlessly. "But it's not far to walk." Relena didn't answer. He turned around. "What's wrong?"

Relena looked anywhere but his eyes. "What's wrong?" she echoed. "What just happened?"

Heero stopped in front of her. "I know you're shaken up, but I didn't think we should stay there. Not with the door busted. And we were planning to leave, anyway."

"I know." Relena looked up at him sadly. "We were running away together. Weren't we?" Tears pierced her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" He frowned.

"Why do you think?" Relena scrubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm humiliated, Heero."

He shook his head. "I don't understand…"

"That drug Kayla gave you?! That explains everything!" Relena threw up her hands. "Your distractedness. And the shaking. A-and all that kissing and caressing… you _never_ act like that, Heero. Never, in all the years I've known you."

He gazed hard at her and shook his head more firmly. "Relena-"

"I feel like such a fool. To think that that was _you_!" Her voice broke. "It wasn't, was it? It was all just… an effect. A stimulant, you said. You never would have done those things on your own."

Heero stepped closer to her.

"Relena."

"No, don't." She put her hands up to block him from advancing any further. "You can't talk your way out of this one. You were drugged. That wasn't you."

He glowered at her. "You believe everything you hear?"

She glared back at him. "Not, but-"

"Well, you want me to take a drug test, or what?"

"Actually, that's not a bad idea." She jabbed a finger at him. "You should go to a hospital and get checked out…"

"Not happening. I'm fine."

"But-"

" _Relena."_ He was in her space suddenly, gripping her by the shoulders. " _This_ is me. I'm not hallucinating; I'm not under some spell. I'm myself. Heero Yuy." He looked her straight in the eyes, pushing his face close to hers.

"Until you get tested, I'm not going to believe you." She raised her chin defiantly.

He dropped her shoulders. "We'll miss our flight."

"I don't care. I need to know who and what I'm dealing with."

Heero shook his head. "Relena, I know a little about chemistry. Amphetamines are in a lot of things. Even food. You like chocolate, don't you?"

Relena looked at him crossly. "I know what you're getting at, Heero, and it's not funny."

"No, you don't." He grabbed hold of her hand. "So you eat a piece of chocolate and it releases dopamines and makes you feel good, right?"

Relena rolled her eyes. "Sometimes. Maybe."

"And a kiss can do the same thing."

She looked away from him. "So?"

"So…" Heero drew her closer to him. "Some chemicals are released and have temporary effects. Slight changes in mood or behavior. Amphetamines release happy chemicals…"

There was that damned _happy_ again.

"My point is, they don't alter your personality. They don't change who you are." Heero reached up and stroked her face.

"But they can affect who you're attracted to, evidently."

Heero chuckled softly. "I was already attracted to you. I've always been attracted to you. That wasn't the drug."

Relena sighed. "But it made you do things that were… out of character for you."

"You mean it made me act on my feelings?"

"Yes." Relena nodded before realizing what he was saying. "No, I…"

"Feelings that were already there," Heero pointed out, tracing her jaw with his finger. "So maybe I got a little boost. If you believe a drug like that could have so strong an effect on me. I'm doubtful."

"Really?" Relena looked up at him with hopeful eyes. She really wanted to believe him.

"Relena, I love you." He used his hands to bring her face closer to his. "I should have told you sooner."

She blinked back more tears. "Heero, I don't know if I can believe you…"

"Do you believe me now?" He was reaching inside of his jacket. Relena gasped when he retrieved a small velvet box.

"Heero… what is that?"

"I was going to give this to you later."

"Later?" She clutched at her chest. "When?"

"During our… vacation. I figured I should do it somewhere romantic."

Her hands flew to her mouth. "But Heero… we just decided to go away together spontaneously. You couldn't have planned any of this…"

"I was planning to ask you to go somewhere with me after the conference." He gave a casual shrug. "I figured you'd agree. If not, I would have thought of something else."

Relena's mind raced to work it all out. "But… how long have you had that?" She pointed at the box with a shaky finger.

"A while."

"And you just carried it around, thinking you'd get around to asking me, oh, eventually?"

Another shrug. "Yeah."

She wagged her pointed finger at him. "You were going to take my virginity first."

Heero frowned. "Not necessarily."

"Hmm, it certainly seemed that way..." She was triumphant, as if she'd caught a thief.

"Well, maybe that was just the drug." His eyes glinted in humor. Relena rushed to smack him but Heero caught her hand just in time.

"Think about it, Relena," he spoke softly to her angry face. "If I didn't really love you, why would I be carrying around a stupid ring?"

Her mouth fell open. "How do I know it's a ring? It could be earrings, or a necklace…"

Heero dropped her hand and held the box out to her. "Open it."

Relena backed away. "I really shouldn't…"

"You know you want to." Heero pressed the box into her hands. "You don't believe me? See for yourself."

She struggled for a moment internally before her curiosity won out. Her hands shaking, Relena slowly pried the velvet box open, only meaning to take a tiny peek inside. But with one little _pop_ , the box sprang open.

Relena gasped as she beheld, nestled in blue silk lining, the most perfect, round-cut diamond surrounded by a diamond bouquet and filigree intricately woven together on a delicate rose gold band.

She quickly snapped the box shut and thrust it back at Heero, tears flowing freely down her face.

"But… but how did you… where…?"

"I ordered it from a specialty designer. Noin helped me, via the internet. I hate shopping."

Relena felt as though she couldn't string a coherent thought together as she stared at Heero. The stoic, handsome, floppy-haired young man she'd fallen irrevocably in love with when she was just a teen with a crush on the "bad boy." Who grew up to be her protector, her confidante. Her dearest friend.

Finally, she took in a sharp breath. "Heero. I don't know what to say..."

"You don't have to say anything right now." He tucked the box carefully back in his pocket. "I haven't asked you anything yet."

"But Heero…" Relena struggled to keep up with his brisker pace as he took off toward the lights of the spaceport gleaming ahead. "The cat's already out of the bag, don't you think?"

She couldn't help but think of how lovely that ring would look on her designated finger right about now. Of course, she didn't mean to be superficial; she'd just waited for so long for Heero to make a move and now here he was, at last declaring his undying feelings for her. Her life had changed dramatically, all in the course of twenty-four hours.

Part of her wanted to send Kayla a "thank you" note.

Heero threw her a look over his shoulder. "You're coming, aren't you?"

She harrumphed, mildly annoyed he hadn't just proposed then and there. After all, he _had_ the ring.

"Why don't you wait for me?" she called after him sweetly, adding under her breath, "I've been waiting for _you_ long enough."

Heero stopped short and turned to face her. "I heard that," he said, his features relaxing into a smile. He held out a hand to her, which she took, meshing their fingers together. Then they resumed walking, Heero dragging their luggage along with his free hand. "Better?"

"Much better." She winked at him playfully. "Husband."

"Husband?" Heero frowned. "Hm..."

"Relax." She reached over and poked his side with her free hand. "I'm just trying it out. You said we were beyond the boyfriend and girlfriend thing, remember? And you did buy me a ring, so…"

"So, you're my fiancee?" His frown deepened. "That doesn't sound right, either."

"Hey, don't look at me! You're the one who wants to propose," she teased. "I didn't make up these silly names."

"Let's just skip it all, then."

Relena gasped, afraid of her hopes and dreams being dashed once more. "But, Heero-"

"Unless you're hell-bent on some big, fancy wedding…" He glanced down at her with what she thought looked like pleading eyes. "We could just get this over with tonight."

Relena fixed him with her own version of his death glare. " _Get this over with?"_

"I didn't mean…"

"Remind me why you were planning to propose to me, again?" Relena stopped in her tracks and whirled on him, balling both hands at her hips.

Heero stopped, too, and ran a hand through his unruly hair. He looked far off and seemed to be weighing his words carefully.

"Two reasons," he started.

Relena relaxed her posture a bit, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm listening."

"One." Heero took a step closer. "I thought it would make you happy."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes. There it was, tonight's buzz word. "Oh, I'm happy all right…"

"Two." Heero took another step, closing the distance between them, reaching up to Relena's face, leveling her with a tender look.

"Because if you marry me, no one will ever be closer to you. I want to be the only one who gets to be that close to you. Because you are my only one."

Relena's breath caught, both at Heero's words and the emotion swimming in his eyes. She had seen that look before, briefly. But then Heero had pushed her away, sending her careening into zero gravity while he shut the cockpit to Wing Zero and zoomed off into space to battle her brother to the death.

So things hadn't played out that way, exactly, but it was a tense moment nevertheless. Now, there was nothing else between them, and the only thing they had to worry about was catching a shuttle back to earth.

For their honeymoon.

Heero had paused, his hand still resting against her cheek, as if waiting for her to say something.

"Heero," Relena whispered when she finally found her voice. "You've always been the only one for me. I can't picture my life without you in it. And I don't want to."

"You don't have to," he murmured before brushing his lips against hers. She savored every lingering second of the sweet, gentle kiss before he broke away and whispered urgently, "Marry me."

Shivers cascaded down her back. She worked to still her shaky breath.

"Before I give you an answer…" She pulled her face back from his and looked him squarely in the eyes. "Tell me. Is that an actual proposal, or just another phase of your security plan?"

Heero's chest rumbled as he laughed. How she loved that deep, masculine sound. She hoped that she would start getting to hear it more often.

"Both." He lowered his voice as if reciting a sacred oath. "I will always keep you safe, Relena, if you let me stay by your side."

These words made her tremble even more, but she tried to look collected. "Hmm…" She sighed breezily, tapping a finger to her chin. "And what if I say no?"

Heero moved back in closer, smirking. "I'd have to override you. For your own safety, of course."

"How patriarchal of you," she quipped, giving him another no-nonsense look.

He picked up on her playfulness and shrugged. "Have it your way, then. I guess you could always fire me, or marry someone else. But then I would make that other person very uncomfortable, because I'm not going anywhere."

Relena's heartbeat quickened. "No?"

Heero took both her hands in his and clasped them to his chest. "No."

"Well." Relena cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing. "You make a very compelling argument. I suppose I'll have to say yes."

His expression changed again as his eyes seemed to light up, like clouds parting to reveal the sun. He took in a sharp breath, then leaned down and pressed their foreheads together.

"Yes… you'll marry me."

"Yes." Relena's eyes flitted up to meet his, and she smiled. "If you insist."

Heero pulled her tightly to his chest, drawing her into a slow, deep kiss.

"I do."

 _The End_

* * *

 _A/N: Thank you to all of the readers who have reviewed, followed and favorited this little story! You complete me! Happy holidays!_


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